Zipping in the New Year
When it comes to New Year’s Eve, everybody wants to be having fun when the ball drops, and Asheley Wessling, account director for Zipscene.com, makes that happen like it’s her job — because it pretty much is.
Zipscene serves the Greater Cincinnati area as an event and entertainment hub. With bars, restaurants, organizations and individuals all sponsoring events, Wessling makes sure that Zipscene knows what’s happening around town so that you can know where you want to be. And when New Year’s Eve is approaching Wessling kicks it up a notch.
While you can always find fun Queen City events on the site, Zipscene puts extra emphasis on 16 event-oriented “holidays” throughout the year, which includes the NCAA Tournament, Cinco de Mayo and New Year’s Eve.
Long before holiday-mode kicks in for most people, however, Wessling gets down to business. And her first job is to make sure venues have started thinking about the holiday. So although New Year’s Eve is still a week away, Wessling started her preparations four or five weeks ago by reminding current venues and potential clients that events need to be planned before people can plan on attending.
Besides frequent event-planning reminders, Wessling works to make sure that Zipscene gets the information to its users. Zipscene sends out a weekly e-newsletter to the 98,000 subscribers to Zipscene and its partnering organizations, and as the 16 holidays approach, Wessling puts in a special holiday banner. This banner links readers to a dedicated page that features all of the holiday’s events on Zipscene. The banner also appears on Zipscene.com, helping users quickly locate the celebration possibilities.
In addition to the regular e-newsletter, Wessling sends holiday-specific e-mails. So as Dec. 31 gets closer, subscribers know how they can ring in the New Year.
This year Wessling has been working with some venues to develop discounts and deals for New Year’s Eve events for Zipscene members. “People don’t typically discount New Year’s Eve events,” Wessling says, but bars like Bang Nightclub, Black Finn and Lodge Bar are all planning to offer discounts to Zipscene members who show their Zipscene card.
A Zipscene card comes with a free Zipscene membership. While the card has been around a while, Zipscene is revamping the card’s appeal with special deals and discounts at participating venues. Some deals, like the New Year’s Eve discounts, are only available for specific events, but other deals apply any time. Some of the specific event deals include birthday deals and bachelorette discounts.
“People want more bang for their buck, so if you have a good offer, you’re going to get more traffic through your doors,” Wessling says. So while some venues know what type of deals they’d like to offer, Wessling works with other venues to develop these deals.
“My role as a sales consultant is to work with venues to develop great specials and discounts to offer to their consumers,” Wessling says. From offering suggestions that have worked with similar venues to thinking up deals that would attract her own business, Wessling tries to promote busier companies and happier consumers.
So while Zipscene can’t help you decide whether your party dress looks better with black knee boots or silver stilettos, it can help you decide where you should head once you’ve made your decision. And you have Wessling to thank.
PHOTO CREDITS
Photo: Neysa Ruhl Photography
